Living Life to the Fullest
by Sephay
Summary: Oneshot-Ishihime. Inoue is more perceptive than others give her credit for. She knows a certain Quincy has an eye for her.


**Prologue**

One may wonder why Inoue Orihime acted the way she did. An intelligent young lady shouldn't ramble on about silly stories of wrestlers and such. Inoue Orihime clung to her childish mannerisms as a way to be closer to her deceased brother. She reasoned that if she acted as she had then, he would come in through the front door like he did. He would listen to her tales and jokes, and she always wondered at his ability to laugh while working and listening to her speak at the same time. So, she would chatter incessantly of silly stories.

However, her body would never stay a child forever. She grew taller, stronger, and more beautiful every day. Her fiery hair grew longer, only to be clipped by her brother's final gift to her. Her childish face was no longer that of a child's but of a young woman. Even so, her eyes retained that childish spark. Yet, even that sometimes faded. At some points during her early years, she would see her efforts as futile and would fall into a bout of despair. Somehow, she always came back around the next day with a whimsical tale, like a cow landing on the moon. She never lost her spirit. Inoue Orihime continued to live like that for ten years after her brother's death.

Then, he came back as a hollow. Not quite in the form she wished, but he returned to her all the same. His tortured cry would forever echo in her memory. She realized how damaging her selfish wishes were. So, she let him go to Soul Society, where he belonged. He would be safe, and she could be herself. Inoue Orihime had no need for her childish mannerisms after that. However, it was hard to change old habits.

Over the years, she realized that random outbursts served to distract people's attention from topics she didn't like. Any uncomfortable situation was thwarted by a silly story, still half-baked in her head. Until it became too late, her childish antics had become her defense mechanism. She always felt safer playing the fool, ignorant to all around her. No one thought twice about what she said. No one expected much from her crazy schemes, except for one boy, Ishida Uyruu.

**Part one**

Inoue Orihime always liked being liked. Not "like" as in people leering at her body as they did nowadays, but being liked for who she was. Friends. She loved them as her own family, even Kurosaki. They always had her back, in battles and in school. She could stand tall because her friends stood beside her. Even when they weren't physically there, she knew that they counted on her to be the best. They were the best people she could ever dream of. Still, she realized that being liked was not the only thing out there.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ishida's eyes stray from his paper to where she was sitting as they tended to do every so often. Orihime feigned ignorance and continued with her notes. A soft happy hum stirred within her, a happy tune. When he was sure she was paying attention to class, he turned back to his own notes. She couldn't help but smile at his antics. After she was positive he wouldn't look, her soft eyes returned his look.

In the hallways, the two sometimes walked together. Talking with him was always pleasant, in her opinion. He was shy, but very caring. Ishida Uyruu always treated her like a lady. He often looked away when his horomones got to him, until he composed himself. He would fiddle with his glasses to distract himself from her beauty. She knew he was not one who would leer at her body the way most did. He would always help her with difficult new sewing patterns or show her a way to improve an old one. His calloused hands were always ready to guide her soft hands.

Ishida Uyruu always made sure someone escorted her to her single apartment. Of this, Orihime knew to be a fact. One day, Tatsuki was absent, Chad was there waiting. She had waved and he in turn nodded. Then, she started home once she was sure that he had nothing to say to her. He hadn't said much, so she figured he had business on her side of town. They continued on their way and he had dropped her off at her apartment. She thanked him for his kindness, and then he turned to the way they came and headed back toward his own home, which was toward the other side of town. On those days that Chad walked her home, Orihime slowly grew suspicious. It had been confusing at first, but eventually she realized that she only mentioned Tatsuki's absence to her bespectacled friend. It was his doing.

Inoue uncharacteristically sighed tiredly as the class finally ended. She slowly gathered her things and heaved her backpack onto one shoulder. She glanced at her table to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. Content with her inspection, she sauntered out the classroom. As she left the classroom, she noticed Ishida Uyruu leaning against the hallway wall. She grinned as he approached her. His hand touched the back of his neck as he addressed her. A very Ishida Uyruu move, she thought happily.

"Hey, Inoue-san, is it alright if I walk you home today? I have to pick up some fabric, and," his voice trailed off.

"Yes! Sounds like fun!"

Yes, it certainly was nice to be loved, Inoue Orihime decided. In fact, she no longer liked being loved. Inoue Orihime loved being loved.

**Part Two**

Ishida Uyruu consistently walked her home after that event. On these walks, they spoke of many things ranging from their personal life to sewing to fights. They would stop by a fabric shop sometimes to actually pick up colorful fabrics for sewing projects. Ishida always knew the right colors to put together, but that didn't stop Inoue from testing clashing colors. All in all, Inoue enjoyed these walks with him. He was a very engaging character. On one of these walks home, Inoue realized that she loved Ishida Uyruu as well. She knew she fell in love with him when they were on an unusual topic.

"I cannot handle plain milk in my digestive system. Not even if it's in cereal," Ishida had said.

"Really? I can't drink plain milk nowadays either. It absolutely upsets my stomach," Inoue replied.

Silence reigned over the two as they pondered what was said. Inoue jumped at Ishida's sudden laughter. It was a smooth genuine laugh with only short pauses for breaths. He sounded so tickled at the thought and his laugh was just too infectious that Inoue joined in with her own laughter.

It was then that she knew that she loved him. When they reached her apartment door, she gave him a longer than usual farewell hug and kiss on the cheek. He stiffened slightly from the new variation of her good-bye. Inoue couldn't help but sigh as she released her embrace.

"You know, Ishida Uyruu? I really love you," Inoue said softly.

Then, to confirm how serious she was, she leaned forward to kiss him. She was pleasingly surprised when he kissed her back, instead of shying away. It was a sweet kiss. A light blush graced the two's faces as they parted. They said their goodbyes again, and he kissed her again gently before leaving for his own home. He didn't have to quite say "I love you" then. She knew he would eventually. It was then that Inoue Orihime knew that it was alright to take her time with this.

A/N

Hey guys! I couldn't sleep, so I wrote this for _Living Life to the Fullest_. Not quite as long as I thought it would be, but I thought it was cute enough. Also, I don't like the title anymore. Any suggestions on a change are welcome. =)

Edited: Alright, as I mentioned above, I made this when I couldn't sleep. I went through this again and revised it. I hope you all don't mind that. Thank you all for the reviews! I love hearing from you all.


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